Ollie Adjusts
by Errant Kitten
Summary: He's back in Starling City. A different person? Or still the same? Kind of a protective older brother...
1. Chapter 1

OLIVER WONDERS

"So you can't tell us anything about the scars-there are quite a lot of them." Dr. Conway smiled. He cocked his head in a "you can trust me" look.

Oliver tried to smile. Dr. Conway had always been a great servant to the Queen family. He'd arranged two abortions for Thea before she was sixteen...and five or six for Mom, Ollie'd heard.

When Ollie needed a letter so he could play lacrosse for Starling Country Day School... Conway had lied through his teeth... "Despite your coaches urine testing Oliver positive for marijuana, crack cocaine and Oxycontin, I see no evidence of this in..."

Then in college, after Ollie and Tommy and some other Deltas had hazed a boy a bit excessively, the medico's opinion had been that Ollie was unstable, and could not be prosecuted...same for the ridiculous date rape accusations, senior year. (and that wasn't Ollie's fault, the girl was a gold-digger).

And, after Ollie had hit the retarded boy on his motorcycle, and had tested positive for opiates, Doc Conway had insisted that through his independent examination, that the kid was just eating too many poppy seed bagels!

"Oliver, we just want to know what happened on the island. There's a strong possibility that you are going through post-traumatic stress disorder, that you're in shock, it wouldn't be surprising."

Oliver shook his head, almost grinning. If I could shoot a wild boar in the eye with my bow for dinner, I think I'm not in shock.

Two nights later, at Tommy Merlyn's party, Ollie wondered if maybe NOW he was going into shock. He looked at Tommy, and his other pasty faced friends...bloated, wiping nose candy off their faces...and so vapid.

Oliver's mind had wandered several times as various pals had discussed clothing purchases, polo matches...it was all so different from Slade, and Sara, the unpredictability of the jungle.

Was Sara still alive? Oh God, there's Laurel. Ollie tried to smile, and looked away. Laurel's still so beautiful. But five years ago, she was such an adult. She'd wanted them to move in together. And as Ollie had varied his dates with Laurel with sport-fucking super-models, it had seemed so inconvenient.

And that's why he'd invited sweet, almost bimbo-ish Sara, Laurel's younger sister, on the boat with Dad. After the boat sank, and Sara disappeared, showing up again on the island some nine months later, a different person, Ollie had told himself that perhaps Sara had changed for the better, the training with the League of Assassins, and learning the languages had bounced the teenybopper out of her.

But, now...what would he say if he saw Detective Lance? Sara's father didn't know that she was still alive, and certainly had no idea that his younger bubbly sweetie-pie was now killing double agents and running arms...and that she could never return to Starling City.

So many secrets.

"Hey, Ollie, whaddya think?" Tommy Merlyn approached. Tommy's eyes were glazed with his fourth Long Island Iced Tea...and his voice sounded as if he'd been freebasing in the bathroom of the club.

"It's really nice of you to throw this party for me, Tommy." Ollie said, his left eye (he'd learned to use his eyes separately) noting that Thea was talking to a creepy ex-husband of one of Ollie's old friends...she'd had her teeth kicked in by the dude.

"Hey, Greedy Gretchen, remember her? She says she'd love to show you her new um, futon." Tommy grinned. "You haven't had any play in about five years...so I bet you're ready."

"I think I'm going to hang out just a bit right now...tired and all that." Ollie found he couldn't stand the loud music. Tommy turned to talk to some bimbo, and Oliver picked a rubber band off the bar. He put a penny in the band, and looped the rubber around his splayed finger and thumb, and aimed at Thea's creep's throat.

It's about thirty feet away, but I think I have the eye for it...

PENNY FOR YOUR THROAT?

Gerald "Scary Jerry" McDermott leaned in to little Thea Queen...She's not even eighteen, but look at those little lips. Her brother's such an over-rated snot...

"So you want to come out and check the Prius? I've really gotten into the environmental thing...but it's a fast car, and I think I have my signed Taylor Swift CD out there, you'll get a kick out of it."

God her eyes are widening. She is hot, and I bet she's tight.

"But my girlfriend Shana told me that you've dated half our senior class...and you had some rough um, sex with Trevlyn Dalrymple."

Trevvie Dalrymple. What a mouthy whore. Can't shut her trap to save her life...the little bitch also claims I gave her chlamydia...

Scary Jerry bent over and gave Thea a charming smile, hoping his cold sore wasn't too prevalent. "Trevlyn's a great girl, but she's got psychological-"

Suddenly Jerry grabbed his throat. It felt like he'd been shot. Gasping for air, he fell to the floor of the club...rolling over with watery eyes, he saw a penny.

His Adam's Apple stinging, Jerry got to his feet. Thea was calling an ambulance, which probably wasn't necessary, but he could milk that for some Percocet...but wait, there was Oliver Queen. Queen patted Jerry on the shoulder

Still smiling he said "Gerald McDermott, you have failed my sister."

Scary Jerry had no idea what that meant, but he turned and left the club immediately.


	2. Chapter 2

EIGHTEEN MONTHS LATER...FELICITY TRIES TO JUST LISTEN

"Felicity, I just feel like they're all mad at me. Laurel was so angry when I got back, but then when I apologized, she felt like she wanted to be in love with me again. I couldn't just say I was sorry...and then Thea was abandoned..."

He's talking to me. I'm his girl. Not his girl. His gal Friday. I-I don't understand why Laurel doesn't appreciate him. Or why Sara takes him for granted.

"You've been great, listening to all this, Felicity, and you've been a genius with the computer, and coming to bring me back from the island after I ran away, and I had to rescue you from that ridiculous mine you stepped in."

"Oh no, it was...fine." Those muscles, lifting her as he'd swung away from the exploding mine. Did the guy have even an ounce of fat on him? But no. You should be grateful he saved your life, and that he's letting you help him fight crime. Stop being a lust-fazed geek! And he's CONFIDING in you, idiot.

Felicity Smoak was trying hard not to talk, trying to listen as Oliver discussed his guilt, his remorse over his life as a playboy...and how he felt he was letting all these women down. Thea. Laurel. Sara. His mom.

Trying to ignore the strains of "Video Killed the Radio Star" from the ceiling (Verdant was having an Eighties Night) Felicity tried to relax here in the Arrow Lair...Diggle was on a date, Sara was somewhere...and there was no mission.

Not tonight. They were just relaxing with some take-out, Ollie had finished that hot thing where he made the chin-up pole bounce up the holder. Felicity agreed with her buddies in the Science Fiction Club at the 10th St YMCA that jocks were really too focused on bodybuilding but...it was something watching Ollie!

"I-I keep screwing up, Felicity. Even my feud with Slade has so much to do with my affair with Shado, the Asian girl Slade loved, and the fact that when I had to choose between Shado's life and Sara's..." Ollie paused.

Oh, how adorable, he's CRYING! Calm down, girl. You're his friend. You're both FOR ONCE, alone in this damn basement with nothing to do but have a heart-to heart talk. No run to the computers, no tracking, no mending his gorgeous biceps because some asshole has shot him.

"You are too hard on yourself, Ollie. Really. These situations, they're not your fault. I guess you shouldn't have taken Sara on the "Queens Gambit" in the first place, but you were so young... and the rest of it? You grew up on the island, but most of what happened isn't your doing. And you're a hero...to me."

Oh what a DORK you are, Felicity Smoak! But he's putting his hand (look at the little hairs on his huge forearm) on my tiny hand.

"You're so nice. And understanding. I feel lucky to have your friendship, Felicity. I'm always worried that we're keeping you from having a dating life, or something, with these ridiculous projects, to say nothing of the work you have to do at Queen Consolidated."

"Oh, I don't want a romantic life, this is romantic enough-no I mean, this work is so important, being your girl-I mean your assistant...uh."

Those hazel eyes. And his DIMPLE! Felicity had actually looked at Ollie's driver's license, and he was a teeny bit younger than she was...so really, she should have an older sister viewpoint of him, and try to help his vigilante work without harboring such a dirty mind...but he's so...

Suddenly there was a slam and Sara was running down the stairs, followed by Diggle. Quickly donning that hideous black mask she wore, Sara exclaimed-

"Slade was seen downtown, and we think he has an explosive. Ollie, suit up...Felicity, can you get on the tracking device-"

Sighing, Felicity dropped her pizza as the heroes converged to take on the latest atrocity. So...glad to help. She trudged (quickly) to the computer, wishing she could help Ollie put on his nice form-fitting vest, with the quiver...yes, it's all a damn adventure!


End file.
